Student Experiences

In the practice of your faith as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian you may be challenged in being asked to sit examinations that are scheduled during Sabbath hours. We understand that when examinations or lectures are scheduled during Sabbath hours it can cause great tension as to following your faith convictions or pursuing your educational prospects. As a Christian family, the BUC wants to stand in support of Adventist students and to this end we will work with you in practical ways through prayer, writing letters to your educational establishment, liaising with your pastor and conference. If you need a letter please contact my secretary (Jacquei Johnson) by calling 01923 672251 or emailing her. She will generally need the specific details of the course tutor and institution as well as the exam and date in question to be able to help.

Over the years many prayers and letters have gone out to educational institutions and the request for Adventist students to have examinations rescheduled outside of the Sabbath hours have been honoured. However, there have been those who have had to exhibit their faith as Hannaniah, Mishael and Azariah by being cast into the fiery furnace due to their religious convictions and practice.

Please let us know if we can support you in anyway

Pastor Ian Sweeney President and Director for Public Affairs and Religious Liberty

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Universities want to help!

Universities have an obligation to be as inclusive as possible, and that includes religious observance. Most Universities have a procedure to assist with students who respect certain holy days. Check your university website and you will very probably find a statement similar to this:

"Religious commitments during examinations: If, for religious reasons, you are unable to attend exams on a Sabbath, holy day or religious festival you must inform the Examinations Office by the last Friday in October of the relevant academic year giving details of the dates on which you will be undertaking religious observance. The University will make every effort to avoid arranging exams on a Sabbath or holy day for those students who have informed the Examination Office as required. The University, however, reserves the right to hold exams on such days if no alternative time is convenient."

Naturaly, this is someone best to flag up with the University near the begining of the academic year rather than a week before the exams! Plan ahead.

A testimony:

I was horrified to open my exam timetable and find that one of my final exams was planned for a Sabbath! I had heard of this happening in other countries, but not here. There was no question in my mind as to what I was going to do. There was no way I could go to that exam. All sorts of worries began to surface: Would I fail my whole degree? Had I wasted the last 3 years? What would I do now? Then I remembered that it might be a good idea to pray about it! I told my family and contacted Mick Smart, who was then the Pastor of my home church. He did everything he could to reassure me and started to look into what the best action would be. The university accepted a letter from my Pastor explaining the reasons that I could not sit the exam on Sabbath. The university agreed that I should stay at the Pastor’s house until after Sabbath and then go into university and sit my exam from 10pm-1am. A very kind non-Christian lecturer sat with me that night and even drove me home afterwards! Although she did not share my faith, she had a great respect for my actions and asked me many questions. And the result? I scored more highly on that exam than any other and this boosted my final degree classification to a level above what I had imagined I could achieve. The lecturer who had stayed with me even wrote me a personal letter congratulating me on my results. God certainly blessed me for being faithful to Him.

Vivienne Barratt-Peacock

Have you had a similar experience? Why not let us know. Your story may encourage others.